Undergraduate Course: Atmospheric Physics (METE10002)

Course Outline
School	School of Geosciences	College	College of Science and Engineering
Course type	Standard	Availability	Available to all students
Credit level (Normal year taken)	SCQF Level 10 (Year 4 Undergraduate)	Credits	10
Home subject area	Meteorology	Other subject area	None
Course website	None	Taught in Gaelic?	No
Course description	Atmospheric thermodynamics and dynamics are initially reviewed, then the spatial and temporal structure of the atmospheric boundary layer is studied, beginning with a dry convective layer and then considering a cloud-topped layer. The second half of the course considers the physics of atmospheric aerosols, in particular how aerosols are involved in the formation of clouds, how aerosols and clouds interact with radiation, how aerosols affect climate, and how aerosols act as air pollutants.

Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites	Students MUST have passed: Mathematics for Physics 4 (PHYS08038) OR Dynamics and Vector Calculus (PHYS08043) OR Mathematical Methods for Geophysicists (EASC09021)	Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations		Other requirements	In addition to passing Mathematics for Physics 4 (or other equivalents) a further 30 credits at level 9/10 from schedule Q or N is also required
Additional Costs	None

Information for Visiting Students
Pre-requisites	None
Displayed in Visiting Students Prospectus?	Yes

Course Delivery Information

Delivery period: 2014/15 Semester 1, Available to all students (SV1)			Learn enabled: Yes	Quota: None
Web Timetable	Web Timetable
Course Start Date	15/09/2014
Breakdown of Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info)	Total Hours: 100 ( Lecture Hours 16, Seminar/Tutorial Hours 4, Feedback/Feedforward Hours 3, Summative Assessment Hours 2, Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 2, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 73 )
Additional Notes
Breakdown of Assessment Methods (Further Info)	Written Exam 90 %, Coursework 10 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Exam Information
Exam Diet	Paper Name	Hours & Minutes
Main Exam Diet S1 (December)	Atmospheric Physics	2:00

Delivery period: 2014/15 Semester 1, Part-year visiting students only (VV1)			Learn enabled: No	Quota: None
Web Timetable	Web Timetable
Course Start Date	15/09/2014
Breakdown of Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info)	Total Hours: 100 ( Lecture Hours 22, Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 2, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 76 )
Additional Notes
Breakdown of Assessment Methods (Further Info)	Written Exam 90 %, Coursework 10 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Exam Information
Exam Diet	Paper Name	Hours & Minutes
Main Exam Diet S1 (December)	Atmospheric Physics	2:00

Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course, students will have a detailed, integrated knowledge and understanding of atmospheric thermodynamics and dynamics and it is intended that a student will be able to: - describe in detail the spatial and temporal variation of typical convective and stable boundary layers in terms of temperature, moisture content and winds - explain the physical processes that give rise to these structures - critically understand the nature of turbulent fluxes of heat and moisture and derive their variation with height, given temporal changes of structure in simple situations - determine the static and dynamic stability of atmospheric layers - discuss the sources and sinks of turbulent kinetic energy - describe the various sources of atmospheric aerosols - have a critical understanding of the processes (formation, growth, removal) that lead to observed aerosol size distributions in different environments - describe the physics of homogeneous and heterogeneous nucleation - understand the physics described by Kohler curves, and how aerosols can become cloud condensation nuclei - describe the physics of how cloud droplets grow by condensation and collision - understand how aerosols interact with solar and terrestrial radiation - understand how aerosols can modify clouds - understand the concept of radiative forcing, in the context of how aerosols affect climate, and be able to compare the anthropogenic climate forcing from aerosols with that from greenhouse gases - understand how aerosols act as air pollutants, and how air pollution can be modelled. - make decisions where information is limited or comes from a range of sources. Students will also be expected to offer professional level insights and critically identify and analyse complex problems as part of the degree exam.

Assessment Information
Examination at the end of First Semester - December

Special Arrangements
None

Additional Information
Academic description	Not entered
Syllabus	Not entered
Transferable skills	Not entered
Reading list	Atmospheric Science: An Introductory Survey (2nd Ed), J.M. Wallace and P.V. Hobbs An Introduction to Boundary Layer Meteorology, R.B. Stull Introduction to Atmospheric Chemistry, D.J. Jacob Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics: From Air Pollution to Climate Change, J.H. Seinfeld and S.N. Pandis
Study Abroad	Not entered
Study Pattern	Not entered
Keywords	MYAP4